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House
File
725
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
725
BY
GEARHART
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
establishing
a
rural
emergency
response
enhancement
1
program,
making
appropriations,
and
including
effective
date
2
provisions.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
TLSB
2227HH
(3)
91
lh/ko
H.F.
725
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
135.196
Rural
emergency
response
1
enhancement
program.
2
1.
For
purposes
of
this
section,
unless
the
context
3
otherwise
requires:
4
a.
“Emergency
medical
technician
training”
or
“EMT
training”
5
means
an
accredited
training
program
meeting
state
and
national
6
certification
standards
for
emergency
medical
technicians.
7
b.
“Program”
means
the
rural
emergency
response
enhancement
8
program
established
in
this
section.
9
c.
“Small
rural
police
department”
means
a
police
department
10
serving
a
population
of
ten
thousand
or
less
according
to
the
11
most
recent
federal
decennial
census.
12
d.
“Volunteer
fire
department”
means
a
fire
department
13
primarily
staffed
by
volunteers
serving
a
population
of
ten
14
thousand
or
less
according
to
the
most
recent
federal
decennial
15
census.
16
2.
The
rural
emergency
response
enhancement
program
17
is
established
and
shall
be
administered
by
the
department
18
of
health
and
human
services
for
the
purpose
of
providing
19
grants
to
small
rural
police
departments
and
volunteer
fire
20
departments
to
enhance
emergency
response
capacity
through
EMT
21
training.
22
3.
a.
To
be
considered
for
a
grant
under
the
program,
a
23
small
rural
police
department
or
a
volunteer
fire
department
24
must
demonstrate
a
need
for
EMT
training
in
the
small
rural
25
police
department’s
or
volunteer
fire
department’s
service
26
area,
and
commit
to
deploying
personnel
who
have
completed
27
EMT
training
to
provide
emergency
medical
services
in
the
28
small
rural
police
department’s
or
volunteer
fire
department’s
29
service
area.
30
b.
The
department
shall
review
applications,
giving
priority
31
to
the
highest
demonstrated
need
for
EMT
training,
and
award
32
grants
to
eligible
applicants
that
may
include
any
of
the
33
following:
34
(1)
A
grant
that
is
a
dollar-for-dollar
match
for
each
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725
dollar
contributed
by
or
on
behalf
of
the
eligible
applicant.
1
(2)
A
grant
that
covers
all
or
part
of
the
costs
of
the
2
eligible
applicant’s
EMT
training,
including
tuition,
course
3
fees,
course
materials,
training
equipment,
medical
kits,
4
simulation
tools,
certification
fees,
and
other
expenses
as
5
approved
by
the
department.
6
c.
A
small
rural
police
department
or
a
volunteer
fire
7
department
awarded
a
grant
under
the
program
must
submit
an
8
annual
report
to
the
department
that
contains
all
of
the
9
following:
10
(1)
The
number
of
personnel
who
received
EMT
training.
11
(2)
Any
improvements
made
in
emergency
response
time,
12
and,
if
applicable,
the
impact
of
the
improvements
on
the
13
small
rural
police
department’s
or
volunteer
fire
department’s
14
service
area.
15
(3)
Any
challenges
the
small
rural
police
department
or
16
volunteer
fire
department
had
in
implementing
the
program.
17
4.
The
rural
emergency
response
enhancement
program
fund
18
is
created
in
the
state
treasury
under
the
control
of
the
19
department.
All
moneys
deposited
or
paid
into
the
fund
are
20
appropriated
to
the
department
to
be
used
to
award
grants
under
21
the
program.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
in
the
fund
22
that
remain
unencumbered
or
unobligated
at
the
close
of
each
23
fiscal
year
shall
not
revert
but
shall
remain
available
for
24
expenditure.
Notwithstanding
section
12C.7,
subsection
2,
25
interest
or
earnings
on
moneys
in
the
fund
shall
be
credited
26
to
the
fund.
27
5.
For
each
fiscal
year
beginning
on
or
after
July
1,
2025,
28
and
before
July
1,
2029,
there
is
appropriated
from
the
general
29
fund
of
the
state
for
deposit
in
the
rural
emergency
response
30
enhancement
fund,
an
amount
sufficient
to
cover
grants
awarded
31
under
the
program
not
to
exceed
two
hundred
fifty
thousand
32
dollars
in
any
fiscal
year.
33
6.
The
department
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
34
17A
to
implement
and
administer
this
section,
including
rules
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related
to
the
application
process
and
the
awarding
of
grants.
1
7.
On
or
before
December
31,
2028,
the
department
shall
2
submit
a
report
to
the
general
assembly
containing
an
3
evaluation
of
the
program,
including
the
number
of
grants
4
awarded,
the
number
of
personnel
trained,
the
impact
of
5
the
program
on
emergency
medical
services
in
rural
areas,
6
and
any
recommendations
for
the
continuation,
modification,
7
or
termination
of
the
program
based
on
utilization
and
8
effectiveness.
9
8.
This
section
is
repealed
July
1,
2029.
10
Sec.
2.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
immediate
11
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
12
EXPLANATION
13
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
14
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
15
This
bill
establishes
the
rural
emergency
response
16
enhancement
program
(program).
17
The
bill
defines
“emergency
medical
technician
(EMT)
18
training”,
“small
rural
police
department”
(police
department),
19
and
“volunteer
fire
department”
(fire
department).
20
The
bill
requires
the
department
of
health
and
human
21
services
(HHS)
to
administer
the
program
for
the
purpose
of
22
providing
grants
to
police
departments
and
fire
departments
to
23
enhance
emergency
response
capacity
through
EMT
training.
24
To
be
considered
for
a
grant
under
the
program,
a
police
25
department
or
fire
department
must
demonstrate
a
need
for
26
EMT
training
in
the
police
department’s
or
fire
department’s
27
service
area,
and
commit
to
deploying
personnel
who
have
28
completed
EMT
training
to
provide
emergency
medical
service
29
in
the
service
area.
HHS
shall
review
applications,
giving
30
priority
to
the
highest
demonstrated
need
for
EMT
training,
31
and
award
grants
to
eligible
applicants
to
be
used
for
costs
32
associated
with
EMT
training.
A
police
department
or
fire
33
department
awarded
a
grant
must
submit
an
annual
report
to
HHS
34
containing
information
related
to
the
use
of
the
grant
moneys.
35
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725
The
bill
creates
a
rural
emergency
response
enhancement
1
fund
(fund)
in
the
state
treasury
under
the
control
of
HHS.
2
All
moneys
in
the
fund
shall
be
used
to
award
grants
under
the
3
program.
4
For
each
fiscal
year
beginning
on
or
after
July
1,
2025,
and
5
before
July
1,
2029,
there
is
appropriated
from
the
general
6
fund
for
deposit
in
the
fund,
an
amount
sufficient
to
cover
the
7
grants
awarded
under
the
program,
not
to
exceed
$250,000
each
8
fiscal
year.
9
The
bill
requires
HHS
to
adopt
rules
to
implement
and
10
administer
the
program.
11
On
or
before
December
31,
2028,
HHS
shall
submit
a
report
to
12
the
general
assembly
containing
an
evaluation
of
the
program,
13
including
recommendations
for
the
continuation,
modification,
14
or
termination
of
the
program.
15
The
bill
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
The
program
is
16
repealed
July
1,
2029.
17
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